Department for Transport

Railways: Bristol

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his oral contribution of 16 May 2018, Official Report, column 303, what plans his Department has to fund the first phase of the Metro West project, and (a) reopening of (b) the Portishead to Bristol line.

Joseph Johnson: MetroWest is a third party promoted scheme in development by Network Rail. The Government has provided funding for the West of England Growth Deal which includes £53m for Metro West Phase 1. The Department will continue to work closely with the local councils in developing the scheme.

Northern: Industrial Disputes

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent from the public purse to Arriva Rail North to reimburse or ameliorate net losses of the franchisee arising from industrial action.

Joseph Johnson: No money has been spent from the public purse to Arriva Rail North to reimburse or ameliorate net losses of the franchisee arising from industrial action.

Motor Vehicles: Sales

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with major car dealerships on promoting the sale of electric and other ultra-low emission vehicles.

Jesse Norman: Last month the Prime Minister, set out a mission to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with the automotive industry and those representing dealerships on promoting the sale of electric and other ultra-low emission vehicles. The joint Government-industry Go Ultra Low campaign is now into its fourth year and aims to inform vehicle purchasers about the benefits of electric and other ultra-low emission vehicles and to dispel widespread myths.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his announcement of 5 April 2018, for what reasons his Department decided not to amend regulations to permit Mobile Batching Concrete Plants (MCBPs) to continue to operate outside standard legal gross vehicle weight limits after the inclusion of MCBPs within statutory goods vehicle testing from 20 May 2018.

Jesse Norman: The inclusion of mobile concrete batching plant, alongside a number of other formerly-exempt vehicles types, in statutory goods vehicle testing from 20 May 2018 does not change the legal weight limits applicable to these vehicles.The ‘special types’ rules, which permit certain vehicle types to operate outside the standard weight limits, are generally used to enable the carriage of equipment and indivisible loads which for engineering reasons cannot feasibly comply with the standard rules, and not because of economic or financial considerations. To apply these rules to divisible loads would represent a significant departure from precedent, could lead to demands for other vehicle types to be afforded similar treatment and therefore would require an exceptionally compelling case. There is little to suggest that mobile batching plant, which carries a divisible load, cannot be feasibly operated within the standard legal weight limits.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the evidential basis is for the decision that if Mobile Batching Concrete Plants (MCBPs) continue to operate outside standard legal gross vehicle weight limits it would create an enduring regulatory discrepancy between businesses competing in the same market when operators of barrel mixers are free to purchase and operate MCBPs as many already do.

Jesse Norman: The standard legal gross weight limits, applicable to large vehicles, including MCBP, are not a regulatory discrepancy. Creating a specific, enduring regime for MCBP would have allowed these vehicles to be operated legally at higher gross weights than barrel mixers. The decision to establish a 10-year temporary arrangement enabling mobile concrete batching plant to operate in excess of standard weight limits is to provide time for the operators of these vehicles to come into compliance with the currently-applicable legal limits, which also apply to barrel concrete mixers.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his announcement of 5 April 2018, what the evidential basis is for his Department’s decision that fair competition would be sustained in the wet concrete market industry when Mobile Batching Concrete Plants (MCBPs) will have their payloads reduced, on average by 35%, to below the payloads currently carried by Barrel Concrete Mixers.

Jesse Norman: The Department has put in place a 10-year temporary arrangement enabling some mobile concrete batching plant to operate in excess of standard weight limits to provide time for the operators of these vehicles to come into compliance with the currently-applicable legal limits, which also apply to barrel concrete mixers. At the end of that temporary period, there will be common weight limits across different modes of concrete delivery, helping to facilitate fair competition. The Department is aware that there are different maximum legal payloads for different vehicle types, due to differing unladen weights.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his letter of 10 March 2017 which stated that VSOs would be valid up to 2032, for what reason his announcement of 5 April 2018 decided to institute a temporary weight regime for a period of 10 years with a cut off for new registrations to the end of December 2018.

Jesse Norman: An official letter to the Batched on Site Association dated 10 March 2017 summarised an option for a temporary arrangement to 2032. No commitments were made about what arrangements would be put in place following a final ministerial decision. Following a request for wider stakeholder views in December 2017, the Department decided that a 10-year period, running until to 2028, would provide the industry with a reasonable timeframe to come into compliance with the standard legal limits. The arrangements are designed to assist operators of most of the current fleet of vehicles. The December 2018 date is intended to enable the small number of vehicles that were already under manufacture at the time of the decision also to benefit from the arrangements.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will confirm that his policy on applicable weight limits for Mobile Concrete Batching Plants (MCBPs) has resulted in a significant change that will apply to all (a) old and (b) new registrations for MCBPs not eligible to operate under a Vehicle Special Order after 1 September 2018.

Jesse Norman: The Department has put in place a 10-year temporary arrangement enabling some mobile concrete batching plant to operate in excess of standard weight limits to provide time for the operators of these vehicles to come into compliance with the currently-applicable legal limits. Vehicles that are not eligible for operation under these arrangements, such as vehicles over 12 years old and those first registered after 2018, remain entitled to operate at the same standard weight limits that have previously applied.

Bus Services: Community Transport

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that not-for-profit community bus services are not treated as commercial operators under the proposed changes to sections 19 and 22 of the Transport Act 1985.

Jesse Norman: Departmental officials are analysing the responses to the Government’s consultation about how EU Regulation 1071/2009 applies to not-for-profit community transport operators. The Government’s response will be published in due course.

Railways: Bedford

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains servicing Bedford have been (a) cancelled and (b) delayed since the introduction of the new rail timetable on 20 May 2018; and what the average time was for the trains that were delayed.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there are cost implications for his Department as a result of the delays and cancellations on services provided Govia Thameslink since the introduction of the new rail timetable on 20 May 2018; and whether those delays and cancellations are in breach of the franchise agreement.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the compensation procedures for passengers experiencing delays on (a) Govia Thameslink and b) East Midlands train services since 20 May 2018.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the May 2018 timetable changes on overcrowding on rail services at Bedford station.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport does not hold data on train cancellations and delays to this level of detail.  It is currently too early to make a detailed assessment of any cost implications of the delays and cancellations since the timetable change. What is clear is that passengers on GTR are facing totally unsatisfactory levels of service and it is the Department’s number one priority to restore reliability to an acceptable level as soon as possible. We are assessing whether GTR met their contractual obligations in the planning and delivery of this timetable change, and whether these issues could have been reasonably foreseen and different action taken to prevent the high levels of disruption passengers are experiencing. If it is found that GTR are materially in breach of their contractual obligations, the Department will take the appropriate enforcement action against them. On GTR services, passengers are encouraged to apply to their train operator for Delay Repay compensation for affected journeys. GTR passengers can claim delay repay for delays over 15 minutes. Earlier this week, the Secretary of State announced a special compensation scheme for GTR passengers. It is to be funded by the rail industry and will ensure regular rail customers receive appropriate redress for the disruption they have experienced. The industry will set out more detail of the eligibility requirements and how season ticket holders can claim. The Department for Transport cannot currently provide an assessment of the impact of the May 2018 timetable changes on overcrowding at Bedford station, as performance of the new timetable has been too unstable to allow for an accurate assessment to be made. The service provided since the start of the new timetable has been unacceptable and it is the Department’s number one priority to restore reliability on services at Bedford to an acceptable level as soon as possible.

East Midlands Trains: Bedford

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to reintroduce peak-time East Midland Trains services to Bedford until the problems with the timetable introduced in May 2018 are resolved.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Transport officials are currently working with East Midlands Trains and other rail industry parties to understand whether or not it would feasible to reintroduce East Midlands Trains services that call at Luton and Bedford in the peak hours. Further information will be provided when this work has been concluded.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of vehicles registered abroad in the UK; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure that those vehicles are fully taxed, insured and registered.

Jesse Norman: A survey is carried out every two years to collect information about vehicles travelling on the roads. Vehicles with non-UK registration numbers are identified during this survey. This information has been used to produce estimates of the number of foreign-registered vehicles in the UK and the latest available figures can be seen at: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/tra32-foreign-registered-vehicles-in-traffic. Foreign registered vehicles that are brought temporarily into the UK are normally exempt from registration and licensing requirements for up to six months in any twelve month period, as long as they comply with the requirements of the home country. Once this exemption period has passed or the keeper of the vehicle becomes resident in the UK, the vehicle must be licensed and registered here. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency works with the police to enforce against foreign registered vehicles that have overstayed the exemption period. Where there is sufficient evidence that a vehicle keeper has not complied with UK requirements enforcement action, including the wheelclamping, removal and disposal of a vehicle, can be taken.

Road Works: Utilities

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the spending by local authorities on (a) potholes and (b) roadway repair due to damage caused by private utility companies in each of the last eight years.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold data centrally on spending by local authorities specifically due to potholes or damage caused by private utilities companies. As part of the annual road condition statistics, the Department publishes data on overall spend on road maintenance, which can be found in the following table:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/674332/rdc0310.ods The 1991 New Roads and Street Works Act obliges utility companies to reinstate roads and pavements to a prescribed standard as set out in the Specification for Reinstating Openings in the Highway. The Act also provides Authorities with powers to inspect utility works and ensure standards are met.

Telecommunications: Roads

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the maintenance of telecommunications equipment does not damage public highways.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department takes to tackle companies whose lack of maintenance of telecommunications equipment results in damage to public highways.

Jesse Norman: The 1991 New Roads and Street Works Act obliges utility companies to reinstate roads and pavements to prescribed standards as set out in the Specification for Reinstating Openings in the Highway. The Act also provides local highway authorities with powers to inspect utility works and ensure standards are met. The 2004 Traffic Management Act introduced the ability for authorities to operate a street works permit scheme which ensures proactive management of how works are undertaken, and to date 65% of authorities have introduced such a scheme. The standards required are the same regardless of which utility company undertakes the works or the location of those works. Currently we are looking at a range of measures with the sector as a whole to ensure continual improvements are made to the quality of reinstatements of the highway.

Railways: Timetables

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the length of time taken was for his Department to assess the adequacy of the proposed changes to the Rail Plan 2020 timetable.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he (a) met and (b) had other contacts with representatives from Network Rail to discuss the implementation of the Rail Plan 2020 timetable changes in each of the last six months.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has been working with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Network Rail over the last few years to develop the new timetable specification. It was designed to maximise the benefits of the government’s £7bn Thameslink Programme investment, including increasing capacity to bring many more passengers in to London during the morning peak. In agreement with industry partners and supported by the Industry Readiness Board, my Rt Hon Friend approved minor changes to allow for a smooth transition. However, it became clear at the 11th hour that GTR were unable to deliver all planned services. We are in regular discussions with Network Rail and GTR. We have reiterated that the disruption suffered by passengers is wholly unacceptable, and the priority is to give passengers greater certainty over which services will run. Over the last six months, my Rt Hon Friend has met with Network Rail representatives on 11 separate occasions. In these meetings he has discussed a multitude of different topics including implementation of the May 2018 timetable changes.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Horizon 2020

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK providing and maintaining the funding allocated by the EU's Horizon 2020 programme at the same level after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As part of our future partnership with the EU, the UK will look to establish an ambitious future agreement on science and innovation that ensures the valuable research links between us continue to grow. My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has said that we want the option to fully associate to the excellence-based European science and innovation programmes – including Horizon Europe and Euratom R&T. Both the UK and the EU fully intend UK entities’ eligibility in Horizon 2020 to remain unchanged for the duration of the programme, as set out in the Joint Report and reflected in the text of the draft Withdrawal Agreement. This includes eligibility to participate in all Horizon 2020 projects and to receive Horizon 2020 funding for the lifetime of projects. On this basis, the UK Government encourages the UK research and innovation community to continue to bid for Horizon 2020 funding and participate in Horizon 2020 projects. In addition, the UK Government has committed to underwrite Horizon 2020 funding if necessary. This guarantees funding for UK participants in projects ongoing at the point of exit, as well as any successful bids submitted before the UK leaves the EU.

Insulation: Preston

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2018 to Question 136214 on Insulation: Preston, whether the remaining properties includes all of the properties affected in the Fishwick area; and what the timeframe is for the completion of the structural surveys.

Claire Perry: We are aware of around 300 remaining properties in the Fishwick area who received support under the Community Energy Saving Programme. That programme imposed obligations on large electricity generators and energy suppliers to promote insulation measures, and it came to an end in 2012. Under the scheme, solid wall measures were required to have a guarantee in place, but since those related to the product rather than the workmanship we understand they do not provide a remedy in these cases. The Department continues to monitor any progress being made, and will look at where we can appropriately support facilitation of works to rectify the issues.However, action to assess and remedy problems with the properties concerned is ultimately a matter for the parties involved in delivery of the works. I understand that there are ongoing discussions between the parties involved to explore what support may be available for further work across these properties.

Coal Fired Power Stations

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to phase out the use of coal to generate electricity.

Claire Perry: Following consultation in November 2016 we have confirmed our commitment to regulate the closure of unabated coal power generation units by 2025. We published our policy detail in the consultation response of 5 January 2018, which set out that unabated coal power stations will need to close by 1 October 2025 unless they invest to reduce their emissions significantly to 450gCO2 per kWh, and that we will prepare the required legislation in good time before the capacity market auctions of 2021/22 (for delivery in 2025/26).

Iron and Steel: USA

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2018 to Question 132589 on Iron and Steel: USA, whether he has made an assessment of the the volume of steel that will be re-directed to the UK from the US as a result of the recent announcement on steel tariffs by the US Administration.

Richard Harrington: We are working very closely with the steel and aluminium industries to understand fully the impact of the US action on UK steel and aluminium producers. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State and I last met the steel and aluminium companies to discuss this on 5 June and my officials are working closely with each company.

Iron and Steel: USA

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March to Question 132621 on steel tariffs, what recent assessment he has made of whether a UK steel company can individually request an exemption for its product from the steel tariffs imposed by the US Administration under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Companies can seek exclusion via their US customers and we will support UK industry through that process. The Department hosted a meeting on 5 June between US lawyers and UK steel and aluminium industry representatives to share information on the product exclusion process which is being run by the US Department of Commerce. Details of the process are set out on the US Department of Commerce website (link here ).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

South Africa: Poaching

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with its counterpart in South Africa on reducing poaching in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The British High Commission in Pretoria regularly discusses illegal wildlife trade (IWT) issues with the South African Government and has funded joint projects to increase IWT law enforcement capacity and cooperation in the region. We have also raised this issue at the highest political levels: the Foreign Secretary last discussed IWT with the South African Foreign Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, during a bilateral meeting on 17 April. In addition, the Foreign Secretary took advantage of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to remind his Commonwealth opposite numbers of the importance of the counter-IWT agenda in general and in particular of senior attendance at the IWT Conference in London in October. We will continue to build on our partnership with the South African Government, including at the Conference itself.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Cameroonian counterpart on steps to permit international agency access to Anglophone separatist leaders extradited from Nigeria.

Harriett Baldwin: During my visit to Cameroon in February, I pressed the Prime Minister and the Government of Cameroon to allow access by an independent and reputable agency such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to all detainees, including those extradited from Nigeria. The Foreign Secretary and I also pressed for access during bilateral meetings at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting with the Cameroonian Prime Minister and Commonwealth Minister respectively. I further pressed for access with the Secretary General to the President when he visited London and also in a letter to President Biya following my visit. More recently, a statement was made by the UK at the UNHCHR in Geneva. We continue to engage with the Government of Cameroon at Ministerial and official levels for access to be granted.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government on freedom of religion and respect for human rights in that country.

Mark Field: I met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Marapana on 18 April in the margins of the Commonwealth Summit. We discussed the recent intercommunal violence between Sinhala and Muslim communities in Sri Lanka. I welcomed the steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to bring the situation under control, and urged that those responsible should be identified and held to account through a free and open judicial process. I also encouraged continued progress on implementation of Sri Lanka's human rights and reconciliation commitments under UN Human Rights Council Resolution 34/1.The UK is providing Sri Lanka with £6.6 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund funding over three years until 2019 to improve human rights, and we are currently funding a range of projects in support of this. One of these projects supports interfaith dialogue, aimed at promoting cohesion between those of different backgrounds and beliefs.

Eritrea: Labour Camps

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the existence of labour camps in Eritrea; and whether he has made representations on such camps to the Government of that country.

Harriett Baldwin: We are aware that there can be indefinite national service in Eritrea, and that much of the work exacted from the population goes far beyond that of military service. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Permanent Under Secretary and the then Minister of State for Immigration at the Home Office raised the issue with the Eritrean Foreign Minister when he visited London in July 2017. The former Minister for Africa also raised the issue with the Eritrean Foreign Minister when they met in New York in September 2017.

Eritrea: Human Rights

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Eritrean counterpart on access to Eritrea for the UN Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights.

Harriett Baldwin: The Foreign Secretary has not met his Eritrean counterpart. The former Minister for Africa raised the issue of access for Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group with the Eritrean Foreign Minister when they met in New York in September 2017. The United Kingdom, in its statements at the UN, both in New York and Geneva, has consistently called for the Government of Eritrea to allow access to the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea.

Eritrea: National Service

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Eritrean counterpart on the laws governing national service in Eritrea.

Harriett Baldwin: The Foreign Secretary has not met with any Eritrean minister. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Permanent Undersecretary and the then Minister of State for Immigration at the Home Office both raised the issue with the Eritrean Foreign Minister when he visited London in July 2017. The former Minister for Africa also raised the issue with the Eritrean Foreign Minister when they met in New York in September 2017.

Eritrea: Human Rights

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will work with his international counterparts to establish an urgent UN investigation into allegations of extrajudicial killings, arrest, false imprisonment and the culture of official impunity in Eritrea.

Harriett Baldwin: A UN Commission of Inquiry reported at length on the human rights situation in Eritrea in 2016. The Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights has also undertaken four visits to Eritrea since 2014 and started direct discussions with the Government of Eritrea on a number of areas of human rights concern. The United Kingdom continues to call for the Government of Eritrea to grant access to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Eritrea.

Eritrea: Human Rights

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Eritrea on its obligations under (a) the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and (b) other human rights treaties to which that country is party.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has made no specific representations to the Government of Eritrea on its treaty obligations in recent years. The most appropriate opportunity to do so will be at the peer review stage of Eritrea’s next Universal Periodic Review which is due in January-February 2019. The UK continues to make clear to the Government of Eritrea our concerns on human rights, and Eritrea remains a priority country in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.

Eritrea: Ethiopia

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to help resolve the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea over Badme.

Harriett Baldwin: We continue to monitor the dispute closely, and welcome the offer of dialogue with Eritrea made by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy in his 2 April inaugural speech, which will be necessary to end the tensions between those two countries.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 January and 31 March 2018.

Mark Field: ​Neither the Foreign Secretary nor I had occasion to meet the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser during the period 1 January to 31 March 2018.

Windrush Generation: Diplomatic Service

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department will provide consular and legal assistance to (a) members of the Windrush generation and their children and (b) people who arrived between 1973 and 1988 applying for citizenship or the right to remain from abroad.

Harriett Baldwin: The consular assistance the Foreign and Commonwealth Office can offer overseas is set out in our public guide at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide.The Home Secretary announced a dedicated Windrush Scheme at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/undocumented-commonwealth-citizens-resident-in-the-uk which will ensure that members of the Windrush generation will be able to obtain the documents to confirm their status. This applies equally to their children born in the UK and those who arrived in UK as minors, and to others who have been in the United Kingdom for a long period of time. This includes information and assistance for those currently overseas and contact details of the Windrush Taskforce.

Iran: BBC Persian Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the criminal charges issued by the Iranian authorities against BBC Persian staff; and what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on that subject.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned by the charges against BBC Persian staff. I call upon the Government of Iran to cease all such action against BBC staff and their families, and to end harassment of independent journalists, whether affiliated to the BBC or not. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are essential to a free and open society.We expressed our concern about Iranian treatment of BBC Persian staff at the UN Human Rights Council on 12 March and both the Foreign Secretary and I have raised the issue, including the criminal charges, with our Iranian counterparts on several occasions. Most recently I raised these issues during my visit to Tehran on 29 April. We will continue to raise the treatment of BBC Persian staff and their families with the Iranian government at all levels.

Iran: BBC Persian Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will personally raise the matter of criminal charges against BBC Persian staff during his next meeting with his Iranian counterpart or at the earliest opportunity.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned by the charges against BBC Persian staff. I call upon the Government of Iran to cease all such action against BBC staff and their families, and to end harassment of independent journalists, whether affiliated to the BBC or not. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are essential to a free and open society.We expressed our concern about Iranian treatment of BBC Persian staff at the UN Human Rights Council on 12 March and both the Foreign Secretary and I have raised the issue, including the criminal charges, with our Iranian counterparts on several occasions. Most recently I raised these issues during my visit to Tehran on 29 April. We will continue to raise the treatment of BBC Persian staff and their families with the Iranian government at all levels.

Nigeria: Human Rights

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department’s policies of the findings of the Amnesty International report on human rights and the Nigerian military, They betrayed us, published in May.

Boris Johnson: ​We are concerned about the allegations raised in the Amnesty International report 'They Betrayed Us.' We routinely make clear to the Nigerian authorities the importance of protecting civilians and upholding human rights standards. It is essential that actions taken by the Nigerian Armed Forces and security services are in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian laws. We call on the Nigerian Government to investigate these allegations and, where confirmed, hold those responsible to account.The UK remains committed to supporting Nigeria and its neighbours in the fight against Boko Haram. Since 2015 over 30,000 Nigerian military personnel have received UK training which has helped to weaken significantly Boko Haram. UK military training and assistance emphasises the importance of adherence to internationally-recognised Rules of Engagement as well as International Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws. We will continue to monitor the situation in Nigeria, and regularly assess the risks associated with the delivery of UK military assistance in line with the UK's Overseas Security and Justice Assistance guidance.

Cameroon: Refugees

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Cameroonian counterpart on reports of forced repatriation of Nigerian refugees by the Government of that country.

Boris Johnson: ​The Minister for Africa raised this issue with the Secretary General to the Cameroonian President when he visited London last month. She reinforced that Cameroon must respect its international obligations to protect refugees. Our High Commissions in Abuja and Yaoundé are following this issue closely and continue to stress the importance of protecting the rights of refugees throughout the region, including through the conclusion of the Tripartite Agreement between Cameroon, Nigeria and the UNHCR that will govern the safe return of refugees to Nigeria.

United Nations: Peacekeeping Operations

Nia Griffith: To ask Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of UK ODA spending has been spent on UN peacekeeping in each of the last eight years.

Mark Field: UK ODA spending as part of our assessed (mandatory) contributions to the UN peacekeeping budget, in each of the last eight years has been: 2010 0.25%; 2011 0.24%; 2012 0.23%; 2013 0.22%; 2014 0.16%; 2015 0.16%; 2016 0.38%; and 2017 data will be published in Autumn 2018 in the "Statistics on International Development: Final UK aid spend 2017" report.The UK has also given other voluntary ODA funding to UN peacekeeping on a case by case basis. UK's ODA Assessed Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Missions as a proportion of total UK ODA 2010-2016  Total UK ODA (£m)Total core contributions to UN Peacekeeping Missions (£m)Proportion of total UK ODA20108,52921.40.25%20118,62921.00.24%20128,80220.30.23%201311,40725.60.22%201411,70019.10.16%201512,13819.10.16%201613,37750.90.38%​​​​Source: Statistics on International Development 2017​​​

Israel: Arms Trade

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether any arms licensed for export from the UK to Israel over the last three years have been used by the Israeli authorities in their policing of the Gaza border in recent weeks.

Alistair Burt: The Government takes its defence exports responsibilities extremely seriously and we have been keeping the situation in Israel under review. We have no information to suggest that UK supplied equipment has been used in contravention of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

Turkey: Press Freedom

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support and protect media workers in Turkey.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have long encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of expression. The Prime Minister raised media freedom with President Erdogan during his visit to the UK in May. Our Embassy in Turkey also monitors high profile media trials. We will continue to engage the Turkish government on these issues and to urge respect for freedom of media, which is essential to the long-term health of Turkish democracy.

Human Rights

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to respond to the reported surge in the repression of human rights defenders worldwide; and whether the Government plans to commit to a renewed strategy of support and protection.

Mark Field: In light of the increasing level of intimidation and persecution of human rights defenders in many parts of the world, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has worked with several civil society organisations to update its internal guidance on working with human rights defenders. The Foreign Secretary issued this updated guidance to all Embassies and High Commissions in December 2017. The guidance tasks the FCO's network of Embassies and High Commissions to find practical ways to support human rights defenders. The FCO keeps the implementation of the guidance under constant review.The FCO supports the work of human rights defenders through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, most of which is allocated for implementation of projects by human rights defenders and civil society organisations. The FCO also highlights repression of human rights defenders in its Annual Human Rights Report.

Human Rights

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to maintain the level of funding that is given to the EU to support human rights defenders after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Field: Supporting human rights defenders, especially where they face persecution and repression, is (and will remain) a key element in the Government's policy of promoting universal human rights. The Foreign Secretary issued revised guidance on this to British Embassies and High Commissions in December, 2017. How best to pursue this policy after Brexit and with which international partners will depend on future circumstances.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Theresa Villiers: To ask Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress he has made on ensuring that Overseas Territories establish public registers for company beneficial ownership.

Sir Alan Duncan: Provisions to this effect are included in the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Cameroon: Human Rights

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and human rights situation in Cameroon; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The tensions in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon are troubling. The British Government wants to see a reduction in violence, release of prisoners and a meaningful process to address the core issues.We welcome the announcement by President Biya in his New Year speech, calling for moves to rebuild trust, resume dialogue and pursue decentralization. During my visit in February, I met senior Cameroon Government officials and reinforced the need for restraint, for the avoidance of excess force and for respect for human rights.

Israel: Palestinians

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department holds information on the number of (a) Palestinian (i) civilians and (ii) militants and (b) Israeli (i) civilians and (ii) militants killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the last year.

Alistair Burt: ​Public reports suggest that from June 2017 until 4 June 2018, 6 Israelis, 2 of them soldiers, and over 190 Palestinians have been killed.The British Government does not compile an independent assessment of whether those killed could be classified as civilians or militants. We call on the relevant authorities to ensure that any incident involving loss of life is investigated thoroughly and transparently.

Israel: Palestinians

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department holds information on the number of (a) Palestinian (i) civilians and (ii) militants and (b) Israeli (i) civilians and (ii) militants wounded in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the last year.

Alistair Burt: ​Public reports suggest that from June 2017 until 4 June 2018, 6 Israelis, 2 of them soldiers, and over 190 Palestinians have been killed.The British Government does not compile an independent assessment of whether those killed could be classified as civilians or militants. We call on the relevant authorities to ensure that any incident involving loss of life is investigated thoroughly and transparently.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, how many contractors have been employed by his Department for (a) up to one year, (b) between one and five years, (c) between five and 10 years and (d) over 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: Contractors Duration DataDurationCPSSFOHMCPSIAGOGLDUp to 1 year1120020Between 1-5 Years500018Between 5 -10 Years00006Over 10 Years00002

Department of Health and Social Care

Surgical Mesh Implants

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a retrospective audit of ventral mesh rectopexy to take account of its omission from the Government's audit into recovery after vaginal mesh surgery.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital published an audit on 17 April 2018, titled ‘Retrospective Review of Surgery for Urogynaecological Prolapse and Stress Urinary Incontinence using Tape or Mesh’. An executive summary of the report is attached. The audit reviews Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data. HES data contains details of all admissions, outpatient appointments and accident and emergency attendances at National Health Service hospitals in England. It includes private patients treated in NHS hospitals, patients who were resident outside of England and care delivered by treatment centres, including those in the independent sector, funded by the NHS. The Department is engaged in ongoing dialogue with arm’s length bodies to assess how it can continue to build on the evidence base for surgical mesh. This includes discussion of areas of concern beyond urogynaecological mesh – i.e. mesh used in surgical procedures to treat rectal prolapse.



PQ146919 attached document
(PDF Document, 775.41 KB)

Surgical Mesh Implants

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether specific Hospital Episode Statistics codes are planned to be assigned to ventral mesh rectopexy procedures to allow clear identification and monitoring of the number of such procedures conducted.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) is a database containing details of all admissions, accident and emergency attendances and outpatient appointments at National Health Service hospitals in England. Procedural codes are not dictated by HES. The OPCS Classification of Interventions and Procedures (OPCS-4) is a Fundamental Information Standard which is used by clinical coders within the NHS. There is not one single code for ventral rectopexy in OPCS-4 and therefore the procedure cannot currently be identified through a single code. However, this procedure would be assigned a code based on whether it was for internal or external rectal prolapse, rectocele, obstructive defecation or faecal incontinence. Any member of the public can submit change requests to request changes to OPCS-4 using the NHS Digital Request Submission Portal. A request has been submitted through an NHS trust for the addition of ventral mesh rectopexy; the removal of the mesh inserted during ventral rectopexy will also be considered as part of this submission.

Surgical Mesh Implants

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether specific Hospital Episode Statistics removal codes are planned to be assigned to ventral mesh rectopexy as they are at present for TVT and TOT surgical mesh procedures.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) is a database containing details of all admissions, accident and emergency attendances and outpatient appointments at National Health Service hospitals in England. Procedural codes are not dictated by HES. The OPCS Classification of Interventions and Procedures (OPCS-4) is a Fundamental Information Standard which is used by clinical coders within the NHS. The OPCS-4 codes are categorised to provide a summary of a consultant episode of patient care for reporting and counting purposes. As such not every procedure has a unique code. The codes assigned are based on the information documented by the responsible consultant and classification business rules and standards for consistent coding. A combination of OPCS-4 codes may be used for coding ‘ventral mesh rectopexy’ dependent on how and why it was performed. Any member of the public can submit change requests to request changes to OPCS-4 using the NHS Digital Request Submission Portal. A request has been submitted through an NHS Trust for the addition of ventral mesh rectopexy; the removal of the mesh inserted during ventral rectopexy will also be considered as part of this submission.

Surgical Mesh Implants

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what procedures are in place to ensure that the correct Hospital Episode Statistics codes are being used so that accurate information is available for the Government's audit into recovery after vaginal mesh surgery.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Information Governance Toolkit (IGT) is a Departmental policy delivery vehicle in England developed and maintained by NHS Digital. It is an online system which allows organisations to assess themselves or be assessed against Information Governance policies and standards. Within the toolkit IGT Requirements 510 and 505 are used as part of the Secondary Use Assurance of acute National Health Service trust clinical coded data. IGT Requirement 510 covers the training of clinical coders, maintenance of their skills and knowledge and also attaining the Institute of Health Records and Information Management (IHRIM) National Clinical Coding Qualification UK. IGT Requirement 505 covers audit of the clinical coded data. All acute trusts under Requirement 505 must have an annual clinical coding audit of a minimum of 200 finished consultant episodes undertaken by an approved clinical coding auditor. In addition, individual trusts undertake regular internal clinical coding on specific areas of local interest to ensure accurate and quality coded data and where necessary implement action plans for quality improvements. NHS Digital provides a helpdesk to address any queries, inconsistencies or requirement to published national clinical coding standards to improve the quality of coded data. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publish codes for the Interventional Procedure Guidance published on their website in collaboration with NHS Digital which coders can use to inform their code assignments. NICE procedure guidance is published for mesh procedures. The IGT is in the process of being replaced by the Data Security and Protection Toolkit and the Requirements 510 and 505 will continue under the new Data Security and Protection Toolkit.

Social Services: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Spring Budget 2017, what proportion of the additional funding for social care has been or will be spent on social care for (a) pensioners, (b) working age adults and (c) children in the (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018/19 and (iii) 2019-20 financial years.

Caroline Dinenage: An additional £2 billion for adult social care was announced at the Spring Budget 2017, which has three purposes: meeting adult social care needs generally; reducing pressures on the National Health Service including delayed discharges of care; and stabilising the social care provider market. For 2017/18, overall data on adult social care funding for older people and working age adults is available, however information on the breakdown in spend of this new £2 billion allocation is not centrally held. Expenditure on children’s services is separate to the adult social care budget. Data for 2018/19 or 2019/20 is not yet available.

Social Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of whether there was a gap between what local authorities paid care providers for social care and what providers required to meet people’s needs in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Caroline Dinenage: No estimate has been made by the Department of whether there is a gap between what local authorities paid for social care and what providers required to meet people’s needs. Commissioning social care is a matter for local authorities who are best placed to understand the needs of local people and communities, and how best to meet them. The Care Act 2014 placed a duty on local authorities in England to promote a diverse, sustainable, high quality market of care and support providers for people in their local area. We have given local authorities in England an extra £2 billion over the next three years to maintain access for our growing aging population and allow councils to sustain a diverse care market including care home places. The Department is supporting local authorities to influence their local market through improved market facilitation and commissioning to ensure that local markets are effective.

Social Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Prime Minister’s answer to Question 76 in her oral evidence to the Liaison Committee, on 27 March 2018, whether the planned multi-year funding settlement for the NHS will also apply to the social care sector.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department is clear the forthcoming Green Paper on social care is the right vehicle for considering how to ensure long-term sustainability for the social care system. This work was moved back in the Department to ensure alignment as the long term sustainability of the health and care system will rely on local Government, the National Health Service and central Government acting to integrate services around people’s needs.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring the labelling of alcoholic drinks to include information on calorie content, Chief Medical Officer low-risk drinking guidelines or other health information.

Steve Brine: Public Health England’s evidence review on the public health burden of alcohol found that alcohol health warning labels on alcoholic products can raise awareness of the messages they contain and inclusion of nutritional information, guidelines and health warnings may increase the effectiveness of the effects a label has on a person’s drinking. The review was published in December 2016 and is available online at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-public-health-burden-of-alcohol-evidence-review The Government continues to work with the alcohol industry and other partners to build on the actions to date on consumer information; enabling people to make decisions about when and how much they drink and helping to reduce alcohol-related health harms.

Spinal Injuries

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 136434, for what reasons the answer to that question did not reference whether an impact assessment has been carried out on the effect on people with spinal cord injuries of the planned NHS Continuing Healthcare budget savings of £855 million by 2020-21.

Caroline Dinenage: It is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups to commission NHS Continuing Healthcare packages of care appropriate to the needs of individuals, and for assessing the impact of their funding decisions. A national impact assessment has therefore not been carried out by the Department or NHS England. Eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare is based on needs and is not specific to any particular condition or diagnosis. NHS England’s NHS Continuing Healthcare Strategic Improvement Programme aims to provide fair access to NHS Continuing Healthcare in a way which ensures better outcomes, better experience, and better use of resources. The programme does not aim to reduce spending on NHS Continuing Healthcare, but to reduce the rate of growth of expenditure. The projection is for spending on NHS Continuing Healthcare to increase by over 20% by 2020/21, or an average of approximately 3.9% per year.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sexual assault referral centres offer therapeutic services for (a) adults and (b) children under 18.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are 47 sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) in total. Of these, 21 SARCS provide therapeutic services for both adults and children, 18 SARCS provide therapeutic services for adults and eight SARCS provide therapeutic services for children under 18.

NHS: Sexual Offences

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims of sexual abuse within the NHS were made to the NHS Litigation Authority in each year since 2014.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims of sexual harassment and abuse of patients by staff have been made in mental health inpatient wards in each year since 2010.

Stephen Barclay: Sexual assault, abuse, violence and harassment by National Health Service staff on patients is taken very seriously by all NHS providers and commissioning and oversight organisations. Protecting patients from abuse and neglect, and care and treatment that is degrading is set out as a right in the NHS Constitution. NHS Resolution handles clinical and non-clinical claims on behalf of NHS organisations and independent sector providers of NHS care in England. NHS Resolution has provided the following information: The following table provides data for the number of claims for sexual abuse from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2017, as at 31 May 2018.Notification YearNumber of Claims2014/15752015/16682016/17100Total316 NHS Resolution has advised that data on the number of claims of sexual harassment and abuse of patients by staff in mental health inpatient wards is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Public Health England: Marketing

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the marketing budget for Public Health England is being spent on (a) alcohol, (b) tobacco, (c) obesity and physical health, (d) sexual health and (e) drugs campaigns.

Steve Brine: Public Health England’s budget allocation for 2017/18 is set out in the table below and can be accessed at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/646715/public_health_england_marketing_strategy_2017_to_2020.pdf Marketing SpendHealth AreaPercentage of total Marketing BudgetChange4Lifeobesity and physical health28%One Youalcohol, tobacco, obesity and physical health18%Smoking Cessationtobacco15%Start4Lifeobesity and physical health5%Rise Abovealcohol, tobacco, sexual health, drugs1%FRANKdrugs1%Sexual Healthsexual health1% The proportions of marketing expenditure in 2017/18 are attributed as follows: reduction of alcohol consumption messaging is contained within the One You adult health campaign; tobacco spend is attributed to smoking cessation; obesity and physical activity are covered by Start4Life, Change4Life and OneYou; a new sexual health campaign was launched in 2017/18 and drug spend can be found under FRANK and Rise Above.

Department of Health and Social Care: Chief Medical Officer

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have met the Chief Medical Officer in each of the last three years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Chief Medical Officer has met with my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care 27 times within the past three years. During this period the Chief Medical Officer has also met with other Ministers at the Department 31 times.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department has provided to (a) local authorities and (b) other providers to help them retrospectively fund sleep-in shifts at the national minimum wage rate.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government recognises the pressures that sleep-in liabilities are placing on local authorities and social care providers, and is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector. Any intervention to support the sector would need to be proportionate and necessary. In the interim the Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that we have a clear understanding of any impact the sector may face.

NHS: Subsidiary Companies

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are in place to provide long-term protection of (a) pay and (b) pensions of NHS staff transferring to wholly owned subsidiaries established by NHS Trusts.

Stephen Barclay: Any National Health Service staff compulsorily transferred to a wholly owned subsidiary from the NHS should, subject to legal advice, be covered by Transfer of Undertaking Protection of Employment (TUPE) legislation in respect of their pay, and terms and conditions of service. Her Majesty’s Treasury’s New Fair Deal1 guidance offers protection in respect of continued access to the NHS Pension Scheme for compulsorily transferred NHS staff. Note: HM Treasury’s New Fair Deal guidance requires that NHS employees who transfer compulsorily from a NHS body to an independent organisation retain access to the NHS Pension Scheme in their new employment. This occurs where the function performed by the transferring employees has been outsourced by the provider or the service put to tender by the commissioner.

Diabetes

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2018 to Question 139363 on Diabetes, what steps his Department is taking to support NHS England in achieving a measurable reduction in variation in the management and care for people with diabetes.

Steve Brine: Building on the National Health Service Diabetes Prevention Programme, NHS England is developing a diabetes management and care programme aimed at reducing variation and improving outcomes for people with diabetes. NHS England is making an additional £44 million available from 2017/18 to support delivery of the programme in four key evidence-based interventions. NHS England has developed a diabetes dashboard which measures progress in reducing variation and improving outcomes for people with diabetes across a range of key metrics for each of the following priorities:- Treatment targets (HbA1c, blood glucose and cholesterol levels);- Diabetes structured education;- Multidisciplinary footcare teams; and- Diabetes Inpatient Specialist Nurses. The dashboard enables National Health Service organisations to view progress at clinical commissioning group, sustainability and transformation partnership, NHS England region and national levels.

Nurses: Training

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of NHS bursaries on the number of applications for nursing degrees.

Stephen Barclay: The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) published data 5 April 2018 which shows that the number of students applying to study nursing and midwifery has decreased by 13% from this point in the cycle last year. There is still strong demand for nursing courses with more applicants than available training places. The UCAS data show that up to March 2018 there had been around 1.4 nursing and midwifery applicants per available training place. The university application cycle for 2018/19 is on-going up until 30 June 2018. Applications received after 30 June are entered in to Clearing. In support of this, Health Education England has recently launched a national clearing campaign to recruit more students to courses in the lead up to the end of clearing, 23 October 2018. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/knowaboutnursing Officials in the Department are also introducing the ‘golden hello’ incentive scheme for postgraduate nursing students, which I announced on 9 May. These payment incentives offer £10,000 to future postgraduates who completed courses funded by loans in the 2018/19 academic year and are anticipated to be contingent on these graduates working in specific fields of the health and care sector including mental health, learning disability and community, including district, nursing.

Restraint Techniques: Children and Young People

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2018 to Question 125862 on Restraint Techniques: Children and Young People, what the timetable is for the publication of the response.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Responses to the consultation on ‘Reducing the Need for Restraint and Restrictive Intervention’ have been analysed. The guidance is currently being updated in light of the responses and is due to be published soon.

Social Services

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations contained in the report Seven tests for the social care green paper, published by Independent Age on 3 May 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: In developing the Green Paper, it is right that we take the time needed to debate the many complex issues and listen to the perspectives of experts and care users, building consensus around reforms which can succeed. The Department has undertaken a period of engagement where the Government is working with experts, stakeholders and users to shape the long-term reforms that will be proposed in the Green Paper. As part of this engagement, officials from the Department have met with Independent Age to discuss their report.

Cancer

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Cancer Strategy for England; and whether his Department plans to implement those recommendations by 2020.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to support people living with cancer after 2020.

Steve Brine: We are in year three of the five year strategy and we are on track to deliver it by 2020. We have made rapid progress in a number of key and high-impact areas, as set out in our last progress report, published in October 2017 at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/national-cancer-transformation-programme-2016-17-progress.pdf NHS England publishes yearly progress reports on implementation progress. The next progress report is due to be published in autumn 2018. The Government and NHS England remain committed to supporting people living with and beyond cancer. Decisions on a new strategy following implementation of the current Cancer Strategy for England by 2020 will be made in due course.

Healthy Start Scheme: Gloucestershire

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people in each district of Gloucestershire are eligible to receive Healthy Start vouchers; and what estimate he has made of the number of people that are in receipt of those vouchers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The number of beneficiaries eligible for Healthy Start vouchers and the take-up rate in each district of Gloucestershire can be seen in the following table:Beneficiaries Eligible by Local AuthorityTake-up%Cheltenham56339069%Cotswold18511160%Forest of Dean37823161%Gloucester1,02268067%Stroud38622458%Tewkesbury36122562% Validated but unpublished information on Healthy Start vouchers from an approved statistical collection. We do not hold the figures for the proportion of people within the district of Gloucestershire who are eligible for Healthy Start.

Visual Impairment: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of children who have been diagnosed with shortsightedness as a result of spending too much time viewing electronic screens since 2012.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children from birth to age 11 have been diagnosed with myopia in (a) 2017, (b) 2016, (c) 2015, (d) 2014, (e) 2013 and (f) 2012.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children aged between 12 and 18 years have been diagnosed with myopia in (a) 2017, (b) 2016, (c) 2015, (d) 2014, (e) 2013 and (f) 2012.

Steve Brine: This information is not held centrally.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS recharged to (a) other EU countries and (b) non-EU countries for treatment in 2017.

Stephen Barclay: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wokingham (John Redwood) on 3 April 2018, Question 134465. With regard to non-European Union countries, it should be noted that while the United Kingdom does have reciprocal healthcare agreements with a number of non-EU countries, owing to the terms of these agreements, the medical costs in either direction are underwritten and so consequently, there is no exchange of money to report.

Radiotherapy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allocate funding to more efficient forms of radiotherapy technology; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the internal market tariff on the effectiveness of the NHS delivery of radiotherapy.

Steve Brine: Significant investments have been, and continue to be, made to improve both the efficiency of radiotherapy equipment and the range of more innovative radiotherapy treatments that are routinely available to patients:- In October 2016, NHS England announced a £130 million fund to modernise radiotherapy across England, ensuring that older linear accelerators (LINACs - radiotherapy machines) are either upgraded or replaced. These upgraded/new machines will deliver both a wider range of innovative treatment techniques and are also significantly faster, enabling more patients to benefit from the latest technology regardless of where they live;- NHS England has also committed £15 million over three years to evaluate the benefits of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in the treatment of a number of new clinical indications. SABR is an innovative radiotherapy technique that more precisely targets cancers with radiotherapy, reducing the damage to the surrounding tissues. A further £6 million was also committed by NHS England to support a number of Cancer Research UK sponsored SABR clinical trials. It is envisaged that the results of both the trials and the evaluation programme will enable more patients to routinely access SABR treatments;- Following an investment of £23 million to improve access to Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), another more precise form of radiotherapy with fewer side effects, the National Health Service is now regularly exceeding access standards, meaning that more people are benefiting from this treatment. The percentage of radiotherapy patients who received IMRT increased from 10% (1,660) in April to June 2012 to 44% (8,865) in January to March 2017. The current access standard is 24%; and- In 2012, the Government provided £250 million to build two proton beam therapy centres in England (at University College London Hospital and The Christie in Manchester), the first of which will become operational in autumn 2018.No assessment has been made of the effect of national prices for radiotherapy treatment.

Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy not to implement any changes to immunisation programmes which the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation predicts would result in an increase in cases of infectious disease.

Steve Brine: Each decision about the immunisation programme needs to be considered on its own merits taking into account all the relevant information. A blanket policy would not be appropriate.

Pneumonia: Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will request that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation carry out a full review of the pneumococcal immunisation programme which includes any effect that changes to the infant pneumococcal vaccination programme would have on the incidence of invasive disease and community acquired pneumonia in adults.

Steve Brine: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps all vaccination programmes under review. It is scheduled to start a full review of the pneumococcal immunisation programme during 2018. In considering potential schedule changes to the infant pneumococcal immunisation programme, the JCVI has reviewed all available information on pneumococcal infections nationally across all ages.

Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to undertake a full public consultation before implementing a change to an immunisation programme which the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advises might result in an increase in cases of infectious disease.

Steve Brine: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provides independent expert advice on the United Kingdom immunisation programme. It bases its recommendations on review of a wide range of scientific and other evidence, including from the published literature, and commissioned studies such as independent analyses of vaccine effectiveness and cost effectiveness. The JCVI can consult with stakeholders on its proposed advice, such as the recent stakeholder consultation on proposed changes to the pneumococcal vaccination schedule, undertaken between January and April 2018. It would not be appropriate for the Government to make an open ended commitment to undertake full public consultations. The JCVI is well placed to carry out stakeholder consultation to ensure the latest and most appropriate evidence has been considered on potential changes to scheduling within the vaccine programme, including identifying who to target to obtain the evidence it needs to inform its advice. Its advice would take into account the public health arguments related to a potential a change such as the potential impact on cases of infectious disease.

Pneumonia: Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Joint Committee on Vaccination advised in paragraph 33 of the minutes of its February 2018 meeting that the benefits of simplifying the NHS immunisation schedule outweigh the additional disease that its modelling predicts under its proposal to reduce the number of doses in the infant pneumococcal vaccination programme.

Steve Brine: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) considered evidence on a reduced dose pneumococcal vaccination programme in meetings held on 4 October 2017 and 7 February 2018. In making their recommendation, the JCVI reviewed in detail all available evidence on pneumococcal infections nationally across all ages. This included estimates of the impact of change in the infant vaccination schedule on the incidence of both invasive pneumococcal disease and non-invasive pneumococcal disease, including pneumonia. The JCVI keeps all immunisation programmes under constant review, and will re-assess its recommendations if new evidence requires it.

Hepatitis

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2018 to Question 134204, if he will place copies of the most recent surveillance data on (a) Hepatitis C prevalence in people who inject drugs, (b) the size of that at-risk population, (c) treatment and diagnoses and (d) severe HCV-related liver disease by Operational Delivery Network in the Library.

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2018 to Question 134204, what the timetable is for Public Health England’s Operational Delivery Network Hepatitis C profile tool to be completed; and whether that tool will be made publicly available.

Steve Brine: All national level surveillance data, including estimates of numbers of people tested, diagnosed and treated, and the burden of advanced liver disease related to hepatitis C are available in the Public Health England (PHE) annual reports: Hepatitis C in England report and Shooting Up: infections among people who inject drugs in the United Kingdom, available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/693917/HCV_in_England_2018.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shooting-up-infections-among-people-who-inject-drugs-in-the-uk PHE is currently finalising a tool which has Operational Delivery Network level estimates of hepatitis C prevalence, diagnoses, treatment and severe hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver disease in people who inject drugs. This tool is expected to be published on gov.uk in the coming weeks. The new tool will replace data the HCV commissioning template which contains data at Drug Action Team level: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-c-commissioning-template-for-estimating-disease-prevalence

Department for International Development

Ukraine: Military Aid

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish information on the recent programme with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Reforms Project Office to develop a housing system for the armed forces of Ukraine; and what the cost to the public purse was of that programme.

Harriett Baldwin: This project provided technical assistance to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence to support modernisation of the accommodation system for Ukrainian military personnel. It supported delivery of the UK’s objective to help Ukraine reform its Defence/armed forces to eliminate corruption and increase civilian oversight and rule of law, strengthening the resilience and stability of the State. The total cost over some 15 months was £414,930. The project successfully delivered its four main outputs: a proposal for a trusted and transparent centralised process for queue management; a policy for new accommodation maintenance, procurement and contracting standards for the Ukraine defence forces; new construction tender requirements and contracting guidelines; and a concept paper for a new defence housing system and detailed reform implementation plan for at least 2 years.

Yemen: Ports

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken to help ensure humanitarian and commercial access to all sea and air ports in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The UK has continuously led the call for unhindered humanitarian and commercial access throughout Yemen, including through the UK-coordinated Security Council Statement of 15 March, the Secretary of State’s visit to Riyadh in December and lobbying from the Prime Minister. The UK is also providing expertise and funding to the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate import flows into northern Yemen. We are lobbying other donors to support UNVIM to facilitate imports of vital goods into the country.

South Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of changing conflict dynamics in South Sudan on the ability to deliver aid in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: Ongoing conflict in South Sudan continues to obstruct the international community’s delivery of aid. Aid organisations regularly reconsider operations due to insecurity. Conflict has also deepened the country’s crisis, displacing millions and bringing the economy to its knees amongst widespread hunger.Amidst these challenges, UKAid is saving hundreds of thousands of lives and protecting future generations. The UK monitors conflict dynamics on a monthly basis to ensure our aid is conflict sensitive and to minimise harm. The UK is the leading donor for an external ‘Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility’ that provides a range of implementing partners with the expertise required to deliver aid in a conflict sensitive way.

South Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to improve humanitarian access to South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: The international community continues to face obstructions to the delivery of humanitarian aid by parties to the conflict. This is completely unacceptable.Alongside our international partners, the UK is continuing to engage with South Sudan’s leaders at the highest level to make clear that physical and bureaucratic obstacles to the delivery of lifesaving aid must cease immediately.Despite these obstructions, UKAid continues to save lives. We have been working with UN, Red Cross and INGO partners to distribute life-saving assistance such as food, shelter and medicines across the country, and to preposition humanitarian supplies to ensure adequate stocks to meet needs are in place before the rainy season.

Department for Education

Schools: Expenditure

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department allocated to schools in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, (b) Bexley Borough, (c) London and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Revenue funding for schools allocated to Bexley, London and England in each of the last five years is shown in the table below:Schools Block £m2014-15 2015-162016-172017-182018-19 Bexley162.67164.73175.57175.10177.17London5,285.175,430.685,888.665,935.146,006.10England30,655.1231,365.5132,650.3133,093.6033,683.97

Schools: Finance

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities to encourage them to mirror the protections in the national funding formula by setting the Minimum Funding Guarantee in their local formula at a level up to +0.5 per cent.

Nick Gibb: What the national formula allocates to local authorities for every school in the country, as well as the notional allocations for 2018/19, have been published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs. Many local councils have decided to replicate the national funding formula locally, and the Department supports this. The Government recognises that for some a more tailored local formula is appropriate, for instance, if there are local changes in characteristics, rapid growth in pupil numbers or the need to invest more in pupils with special educational needs or disabilities.

Music: Education

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2018 to Question 120514 on music education, if he will hold a public consultation on whether to change or extend the National Plan for Music Education.

Nick Gibb: The current National Plan for Music Education runs until 2020. Any proposals for a review, including consultation, will be announced later in 2018.

Teachers: Pay

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for his Department to receive the 2018 report of the School Teachers’ Review Body.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the 2018 report of the School Teachers’ Review Body.

Nick Gibb: The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) has recently submitted its 28th Report to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, which makes recommendations on the 2018 pay award. The Government will now consider carefully the report from the STRB and its recommendations. The Department will publish the report and its response in due course.

Adoption Support Fund

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have made a claim to the Adoption Support Fund; and what the average award has been for a successful claim in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The attached table breaks down the number of approved applications and the average application total made to the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) over the last three years.



148946_Applications_made_to_the_ASF
(PDF Document, 99.21 KB)

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on introduction of sharia-compliant student loans.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I refer the hon. Member for Blackpool South to the answers I gave on 6 March 2018 to questions 130660 and 130663.

Ministry of Justice

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to abolish employment tribunal fees.

Lucy Frazer: On 26 July 2017, the Supreme Court handed down judgment in the case of R (Unison) v Lord Chancellor in which the court quashed fees in the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Employment Tribunal fees were stopped in light of the judgment and, on 15 November a scheme to refund all those who had paid was launched. A review is being conducted on how we charge fees in light of Unison details on the proposed approach will be published in due course.

Courts: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2018 to Question 144357, what research his Department had undertaken or commissioned as of 1 May 2018 on the views of witnesses in respect of the planned digital courts reform programme.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2018 to Question 144356, what research his Department had undertaken or commissioned as of 1 May 2018 on the views of victims in respect of the planned digital courts reform programme.

Lucy Frazer: Further to the answers provided to Parliamentary Questions 144357 and 144356, user research with victims and witnesses has not yet commenced but will be carried out as part of HMCTS Reform. No external research has been commissioned or delivered since 1st May 2018.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the criteria are by which HM Courts and Tribunals Service permitted or refused tickets to attend the reform roadshow for legal professionals held in London on 24 May 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who registered for a ticket to the HM Courts and Tribunals Service reform roadshow for legal professionals held in London on 24 May 2018 later had their ticket revoked.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons in each case where it occurred people who had registered for a ticket to the HM Courts and Tribunals reform roadshow for legal professionals held in London on 24 May 2018 later had their ticket revoked.

Lucy Frazer: HMCTS has in the last six months hosted a series of events focused on engaging the legal profession on the wider courts and tribunals reform programme. The event on 24 May 2018 was held at the London headquarters of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In line with previous events, HMCTS used a range of communication channels to issue an invitation to legal professionals to register their interest in attending by reserving a place using an online event organiser booking system. The event was organised for legal professionals only and not intended for others, including from the media or the public. Four people who registered to attend were refused a place as a result. In addition, 29 legal professionals who wanted to attend were refused a place because they registered after the number of confirmed places reached the venue’s maximum capacity of 90 people. The event was, however, broadcast online by live stream and all those who did not receive a place, including the media, were informed that they could follow the event in full this way and submit any questions online. The event can be viewed on GOV.UK, the page includes a presentation by HMCTS Chief Executive Officer Susan Acland-Hood and the Q&A session.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of its contractual obligations in relation to Oakhill Secure Training Centre G4S has met in each year since 2010.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 23 January 2018 on Oakhill Secure Training Centre, Official Report, column 117, if he will publish the findings of his Department's Monitoring team into Oakhill Secure Training Centre.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any improvement notices have been issued by his Department to Oakhill Secure Training Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether G4S has asked for his Department's approval to sell Oakhill Secure Training Centre.

Dr Phillip Lee: We have been clear that performance at Oakhill needs to improve and we are robustly monitoring performance against the contract and are clear that all options remain on the table. The Contract for Oakhill STC is between the Secretary of State for Justice and STC Milton Keynes Ltd (the Contractor), of which G4S is their Operating Sub-Contractor. We therefore do not have information on the proportion of contractual obligations that G4S has met. The Contract does not include Improvement Notices as a contractual remedy. Other mechanisms are in place to manage the contractual performance. The contract requires the Secretary of State for Justice’s approval to a change in Operating Sub-Contractor. To date this approval process has not been triggered. There is no intention to publish any of the YCS Monitoring Team’s findings.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions assaults requiring hospital treatment have occurred at Oakhill Secure Training Centre in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: The safety of young people in our care is our priority.The table below provides a breakdown of the number of the number of serious injuries (requiring hospital treatment) to young people placed at Oakhill STC, as the result of an assault from 2010 to 2017. These figures are a further breakdown of published data. Table 1: The number of serious injuries (requiring hospital treatment) to young people placed at Oakhill STC, as the result of an assault, 2010 to 2017(1)(2)(3)(4)(5) Year Ending December 20102011201220132014201520162017(4)TotalSerious injury (requiring hospital treatment)1210837628 (1) Data is presented by calendar year. (2) This data includes all serious injuries to children and young people requiring hospital treatment and may therefore include the perpetrator as well as the victim. (3) In April 2016 there were some small changes to the counting rules for proven assault incidents requiring medical treatment. The full impact of these counting rules changes is not known, but it is likely to be small. However care should be taken when comparing the number of incidents requiring medical treatment figures since 2016/17 with those from 2015/16 or before. See A Guide to Youth Justice Statistics for more information. (4) Data for 2017 includes January to March 2017 only. (5) This data is a count of serious injury (requiring hospital treatment) to young people only and does not include staff or to others. Please note that this is not the distinct number of children and young people as a single child or young person may be involved in more than one incident which involved an injury. Due to the way the data are collected we are unable to identify the number of distinct children and young people who are injured as a result of an assault. If more than one injury occurs during an incident, the most serious injury will be recorded. This data includes any 18 year olds who remain in the under 18 secure estate. Data on assaults are collected via summary level monthly returns. The data provided in this response has been derived from bespoke returns submitted to the Youth Justice Board by establishments. Data received from the establishments through monthly returns is validated through a reconciliation process on an annual basis. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Treasury

Aviation: Training

Sir Roger Gale: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparisons he has made of the taxation of flight training in the UK with such taxation in other countries; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: UK law allows an exemption from VAT for vocational training. This exemption is available to all EU Member States under the EU VAT framework.

Treasury: Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he had with the Government Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 January and 31 March 2018.

Elizabeth Truss: The Chancellor of the Exchequer did not meet the Government Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 January and 31 March 2018.

Coinage

Craig Mackinlay: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to commission a commemorative 50p coin to mark the UK leaving the EU on 29 March 2019.

Robert Jenrick: The independent Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the Design of Coins, Medals, Seals and Decorations (RMAC), established in 1922, is the body responsible for the development of the nation’s coin themes and designs. Themes and designs are selected by this body to commemorate a selection of significant anniversaries and events relating to the United Kingdom. The Government has passed the suggestion of commemorating the UK leaving the EU on a coin to the Committee for consideration.

Aviation: Training

Grant Shapps: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Strategic Review of General Aviation, published by the Civil Aviation Authority in July 2006, whether his Department has conducted a review of whether the current VAT treatment applied to flight training places UK flying schools at a competitive disadvantage to those based in other countries; and if hewill make a statement.

Mel Stride: The government does not hold information on tax revenues that can be broken down to assess the impact of tax on flight training.

Charitable Donations: Tax Allowances

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of (a) Gift Aid and (b) tax relief on charity donations declared on tax returns in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Robert Jenrick: HMRC publishes information about the estimated cost of Gift Aid and tax reliefs on charitable donations in “Charitable Donations and Tax Reliefs Statistics”.Column (a) in Table 1 below shows the estimated cost to the public pursue of Gift Aid. Gift Aid is paid directly to charities on donations by Income Tax taxpayers. Column (b) in Table 1 represents the estimated cost to the public purse of the claims for tax reliefs on charitable donations by higher and additional Income Tax payers, primarily declared through the Self Assessment tax return.Table 1: Estimated of Income Tax reliefs for Gift Aid: £m(a)(b)Tax YearGift Aid paid to charitiesHigher / Additional rate relief on Gift Aid donations paid to individuals2012-1310404502013-1410504102014-1511904802015-1612605002016-171270520

Defence Fire and Rescue Service: VAT

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether contracted-out services VAT refunds are planned to be extended to the successful bidder of the Defence Fire and Rescue project.

Mel Stride: The VAT refund mechanism in section 41 of the VAT Act 1994 applies to government departments and certain NHS authorities. The mechanism does not apply to companies which are in business. The government keeps the list of services entitled to refunds under review to ensure that they work for government departments and the NHS.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service: VAT

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of extending contracted-out services VAT refunds to the successful bidder of the Defence Fire and Rescue project.

Mel Stride: Section 41 of the VAT Act 1994 allows government departments and NHS authorities to recover VAT incurred on certain contracted out services when those services relate to non-business activities. The mechanism does not apply to companies which are in business. The purpose of this mechanism is to ensure that VAT does not sway decision-making when government departments decide how to design services.

Ministry of Defence: VAT

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many private sector providers at the Ministry of Defence receive contracted-out services VAT refunds.

Mel Stride: VAT refunds for contracted out services under section 41(3) of the VAT Act 1994 are not paid to private sector providers.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of free to use ATMs in parliamentary constituencies.

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to instruct the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to intervene in the event that LINK’s Financial Inclusion Programme does not protect access to ATMs in areas that face financial exclusion.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government has been engaging and will continue to engage with the regulators and industry, including LINK, to ensure that it is maintained. The Government established the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) in 2015 with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users. As part of this, the PSR is monitoring developments within ATM provision. The PSR recently commissioned work to understand the impact on the provision of free-to-use ATMs that a reduction in interchange fees may have. A summary of the findings can be found on their website at this link: https://www.psr.org.uk/psr-focus/the-uk-atm-network/atm-impact-study. The Government has therefore not made its own assessment of the impact. The PSR have also set out three requirements of LINK: that LINK must maintain the current geographical spread of ATMs; that any changes made to interchange fees must be incremental to allow LINK to monitor the impact and take action if the impact is not as expected; and for a greater focus on LINK’s financial inclusion programme, to continue to fill gaps in the network. The PSR has committed to using its powers to act should LINK behave in a way that conflicts with its statutory objectives, and will intervene if they believe the current broad geographical spread of free-to-use ATMs is threatened.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many contractors currently employed by his Department are paid £1,000 or more per day.

Jake Berry: Zero.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes: Disability

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government provides guidance on the length of time for which local authorities can backdate claims for severely mentally impaired discount.

Rishi Sunak: Local authorities are responsible for taking decisions on the eligibility of claims for the council tax disregard for those with a severe mental impairment (SMI). It is for each authority to consider, on the basis of the claim submitted, whether there are grounds for the claim to be backdated and, if so, for how long.

Affordable Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much in grant funding will be allocated to the building of affordable housing between 2016 and 2021.

James Brokenshire: The Affordable Homes Programme is £9.1 billion, with £700 million currently allocated to 2021/22.The £700 million in 2021/22 includes the £300 million allocated to the Greater London Authority at Spring Statement 2018 and an additional £400 million to cover the money allocated to fund cladding remediation, which the Prime Minister announced on 16 May.The extension of the programme responds to calls from the sector for longer term certainty on grant funding.

Housing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 39 of the  Land Compensation Act 1973, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have been rehoused by local authorities after they have been displaced by a (a) compulsory purchase order and (b) housing order where no affordable alternative accommodation is available.

James Brokenshire: MHCLG does not hold this information.

Housing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 39 of the Land Compensation Act 1973, whether his Department provides funding to support local authorities in their duty to rehouse residential occupiers displaced by a compulsory purchase order or housing order.

James Brokenshire: MHCLG does not provide specific funding in respect of this function.

Social Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Spring Budget 2017, how much of the additional funding for social care (a) was spent in 2017-18 and (b) is forecast to be spent in (i) 2018-19 and (ii) 2019-20 to fund social care providers paying the National Living Wage, broken down by NUTS 1 region and local authority.

Rishi Sunak: The improved Better Care Fund is given to local authorities via a section 31 grant for the following purposes:meeting adult social care needs;reducing pressures on the NHS, including supporting more people to be discharged from hospital when they are ready; andensuring that the local social care provider market is supported.We do not collect specific data on how much local authorities have spent, or forecast to spend, on funding social care providers.

Social Rented Housing: Tenants' Rights

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to establish consistency and clarity on the succession rights of remaining social housing tenants after the death of the secure tenant.

Dominic Raab: The Housing and Planning Act 2016 includes changes to the rules on succession that deliver a consistent approach across all local authority tenancies, and ensure that common law partners are put on an equal footing with married couples and civil partners. When in force, all spouses and partners will have a statutory right to succeed to a lifetime tenancy. Local authorities will be able to grant additional succession rights, and where they do so the tenant will receive a five year fixed term tenancy. I believe that these changes strike the right balance between protection for tenants and their families, and flexibility for local authority landlords.

European Regional Development Fund

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK providing and maintaining funding allocated by the European Regional Development Fund at the same level after the UK leaves the EU.

Jake Berry: The agreement in principle between the UK and the EU states that we will continue to participate in EU programs until they close in 2020, which gives all areas of the UK certainty over funding.The Government continues to work on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. All decisions on spending will be made at the Spending Review.

Planning Permission: Environmental Impact Assessment

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what environmental impact assessment he has carried out in relation to the proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework; and if he will place a copy of the assessments in the Library.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what environmental impact assessment his Department has carried out in relation to the proposed changes to the planning rules relating to Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation contained in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Dominic Raab: We have not conducted a formal environmental impact assessment of the draft changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). However we have engaged a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including environmental organisations, through our consultation on the draft to consider the potential impacts of the proposed revisions. The revised NPPF and the Government’s response will be published this Summer.

Nature Conservation: Planning Permission

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what meeting he has held with organisations on the proposed changes to the planning rules relating to Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation, set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to retain the current level of protection for Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Dominic Raab: This Government is committed to ensuring clarity around environmental protections in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). We engaged relevant stakeholders, including environmental organisations, during the consultation on the revised NPPF. The consultation closed on 10 May 2018 and we are currently considering responses. The revised NPPF and the Government’s response will be published this summer.

Help to Buy Scheme: Greenwich

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect on the public purse of Help to Buy equity loans being redeemed at a fraction of their original value on leasehold properties on New Capital Quay development in Greenwich whose valuation has significantly decreased because of blight resulting from cladding and insulation throughout that site failing category 3 safety tests arranged through his Department; whether his Department is taking steps to reduce the effect on the public purse of such valuations; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

War Widows: Pensions

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to review its policy on compensation for war widows who have already surrendered a pension on remarriage or cohabitation; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We recognise the unique commitment that Service families make to our country and remain sympathetic to the circumstances of this group of widows. The case for the reinstatement of War Widows' Pensions for those widows who had remarried or cohabited before 1 April 2015 is being considered.

Armed Forces: Allowances

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) regular and (b) reserve armed forces personnel have made an expenses claim on the Joint Personnel Administration system in the last year.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the value of expenses unclaimed by armed forces personnel in 2017.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reserve armed forces detachments do not have access to the Joint Personnel Administration system on site.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) regular and (b) reserve armed forces personnel had an expenses claim audited in 2017.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) regular and (b) reserve armed forces personnel had an expenses claim turned down in 2017.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) regular and (b) reserve armed forces personnel had to repay an expenses claim in 2017.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: During Financial Year 2017-18, 95,964 regular and 10,731 volunteer reserve personnel (a total of 106, 695 personnel which represents approximately 58 per cent of the combined total strength) submitted an expenses claim via the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. Together they, along with other cadres of personnel with access to the JPA system (including Cadet Force Adult Volunteers and the Military Provost Guard Service), submitted 404,600 expenses claims.All regular and reserve units have access to the JPA system and provisions are in place for deployed or detached personnel to submit claims if access in theatre is not readily available.The JPA system is programmed to randomly select five per cent of different types of expense claims for audit to be carried out at Unit level. In addition, each of the single-Services conducts a similar manual percentage audit of claims submitted by their Service personnel.During Financial Year 2017-18, some 17,800 regular and reserve Service personnel who submitted an expenses claim were required to refund payment either in part, or in full. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of refunded payments by regular and reservist claimants.Information on the value of unclaimed expenses, and the number of instances where an expenses claim was rejected is not held.

Nigeria: Military Aid

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy of providing military assistance to the Nigerian armed forces of the Amnesty International Report, They betrayed us, published on 24 May 2018.

Mark Lancaster: Nigeria is a key partner for the UK and we are fully committed to helping the Nigerian Government in its fight against terrorism. However, the UK's position on human rights is clear: they are universal and must apply equally to all. Any member of the Nigerian security forces found to have been involved in human rights violations must be held accountable. The National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security sets out how the UK Government will integrate a gender perspective into its work to build security and stability overseas and protect the human rights of women and girls. The UK military training and assistance to the Armed Forces of Nigeria has consistently emphasised the importance of adherence to internationally recognised Rules of Engagement, as well as the importance of International Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. We have also made clear to the Nigerian authorities the importance of protecting civilians in conflict and detention, and that human rights standards must be upheld. We continue to monitor the situation in Nigeria, and regularly assess the risks associated with the delivery of UK military assistance in line with the UK's Overseas Security and Justice Assistance guidance.

Ministry of Defence: Written Questions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134413 on Army: Recruitment, when he plans to provide a substantive answer to that Question.

Mark Lancaster: I responded to the hon. Member on 1 June 2018.

Defence: Radar

Vicky Ford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what weighting will be given to national security objective 3 on UK prosperity in the procurement of the replacement long-range air defence deployable radar.

Guto Bebb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 May 2018 to Question 143866 to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South (Mr Morgan).



Defence:Radar
(Word Document, 25.25 KB)

Guided Weapons

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current value is of the UK stake in the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile programme.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current proportional value is of the UK stake in the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile programme.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current value is of each partner nation's stake in the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile programme.

Guto Bebb: The current value of the UK stake in the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile programme is circa £654 million. The current proportional value of the UK stake in the programme (development and production) is circa 40%.I am withholding the information on the current value of each partner nation's stake in the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile programme as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces and relations between the United Kingdom and other States.

Ministry of Defence: Written Questions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2017 to Questions 116517, 116519, 116520, 116523 on Army: Training, when he plans to publish a substantive answer to the Questions.

Mark Lancaster: I responded to the hon. Member on 5 June 2018.

Gibraltar: Territorial Waters

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to preserve the integrity of UK sovereign waters around Gibraltar.

Mark Lancaster: We are confident of UK sovereignty over the whole of Gibraltar, including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The Royal Navy continues to challenge all incursions by State vessels into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, and the FCO supports this by making formal diplomatic protests to the relevant authorities.

Ascension Island: Aviation

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate access to and from Ascension Island for (a) civilians and (b) military personnel during the Ascension Island runway resurfacing programme.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working closely with the US Department of Defense, who own and operate the Ascension Island runway, to ensure continued access to the Islands during the runway resurfacing programme. The MOD will ensure during this time that a mechanism is in place for UK Defence personnel to access the island in support of MOD business.Civilian access is overseen by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ascension Island Government. Access to the island for civilians is currently available through the commercial air link provided by South African Airlink from Cape Town via St Helena.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant the Answer of 16 May 2018 to Question 142517, whether the change in wording to the ESA65B letter to claimants’ doctors was authorised by the Cabinet Secretary at the request of the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 04 June 2018



Officials from this Department engaged with the Cabinet Office on the development of new wording of the ESA65B letter, but changes were authorised by the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who has responsibility.

Personal Independence Payment

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of disability living allowance claimants who have been asked to attend a re-assessment for personal independence payments have requested their assessment take place at home; and how many of those who have made such a request had that request rejected.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 04 June 2018



The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Offshore Industry: Divers

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the basic training qualifications for industrial divers in the offshore oil and gas and wind sectors in enabling those employees to transfer their skills between the two sectors.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 04 June 2018



The Health and Safety Executive has responsibility for enforcing the Diving at Work Regulations 1997, which apply to all diving carried out in Great Britain where at least one person who is taking part is at work. These regulations specify the requirement for divers to hold an approved qualification for the type of diving that is being conducted. The regulations are supported by 5 Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) which cover different dive industry sectors. The ACOPs were reviewed and revised in 2014 in consultation with the diving industry. The Commercial Diving Projects Offshore ACOP applies to all work associated with the oil and gas industry and some parts of the wind industry. The Commercial Diving Projects Inland/Inshore ACOP applies to all work in the wind sector that doesn’t fall under the Commercial Diving Projects Offshore ACOP. Diving qualifications are transferable between sectors if the type of diving being undertaken in the particular sector is covered by the diving qualification held. A diver with a qualification appropriate for working in the offshore oil and gas industry would be able to work in the offshore wind industry. However, a diver holding a qualification for certain work in the wind industry may find that they need extra training before they can work in the offshore oil and gas industry. This is due to the different types of diving techniques used. For further information on diving, please see HSE’s website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/diving/index.htm.

Personal Independence Payment: Cancer

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that young cancer patients who are claiming personal independence payments can access financial support backdated from the day of their diagnosis.

Sarah Newton: Other than for those who are terminally ill, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability rather than a diagnosis. Primary legislation sets out that a claimant cannot be entitled to PIP for any period prior to the date of claim.

Personal Independence Payment: Cancer

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was from application to a decision being made for young people with cancer who applied for personal independence payments over the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants with cancer aged 16 to 24 assessed under Normal Rules, waited an average (median) of 11 and 14 calendar weeks from the point of registration to a decision being made for new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessments respectively. For claimants with cancer aged 16 to 24 assessed under Special Rules for the Terminally Ill, the average (median) was 6 and 7 working days for new claims and DLA reassessment claims respectively. This data includes cases on which a decision was made between 1st February 2017 and 31st January 2018, the latest full year for which data is available. Information on clearance times split by Normal Rules and Special Rules claims and new claim or DLA reassessment claims can be found in the data tables, “Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to January 2018” within tables 5A-B here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-january-2018. Source: PIP Computer System claimant records. Notes:1. “Cancer” is defined here by claimants recorded on the PIP Computer System with “Neoplasms (C00 - D48)” in the ICD summary code. ICD summary codes are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. For reporting purposes, the disability conditions as recorded on the PIP IT system have been mapped to reflect as closely as possible the appropriate ICD10 code.2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks for Normal Rules and working days for Special Rules for the Terminally Ill.3. Data includes normal rules and special rules as recorded at the point of the DWP decision, in accordance with the measure. It is possible for claims to transition between Normal/Special Rules and new claims/reassessments during the course of the claimant journey.4. Figures for reassessments include Rising 16s. (Individuals previously on child DLA who are reassessed for PIP upon reaching the age of 16).5. The figures are the average (median) clearance time of claims cleared between 1st February 2017 and 31st January 2018.6. The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases were the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)7. The 'Registration to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria or failure to return the Part 2 form within the time limit).8. A claimant may have multiple disabling conditions but only the primary condition is recorded on PIP systems.9. This is unpublished data and it should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.10. Claimants are aged 16 to 24 (i.e. aged 16 and over and under 25) at the time of the decision. This is in line with CLIC Sargent’s definition of “young people”. https://www.clicsargent.org.uk/content/cancer-facts-and-figures.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of ending the protected places scheme on (a) organisations that receive funding from and (b) disabled people in work who are supported by that scheme.

Sarah Newton: Work Choice providers and Supported Businesses have been aware that the Protected Places arrangement delivered via the Work Choice contracts would end at the end of December 2018 and will have been transitioning their businesses to manage the end of this funding stream. To support them in the transition funding for Protected Places has been extended until March 2019. We plan tp provide long-term sustainable funding for this group of people. Supported businesses use different models to manage the Protected Places provision, so assessments are being made at a range of businesses: We are working to introduce arrangements to provide continued support, exploring a new Access to Work element which might be paid to the businesses in respect of the support they provide for individuals once Work Choice funding ceases. Department for Work and Pensions officials are visiting a number of these businesses (including RSBI in Glasgow) to review the models they have in place and evaluate how new support could be implemented.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2018 to Question 146091 on State Retirement Pensions: Females, what the duties of the additional 13 staff will be; assessment she has made of the effect of the additional staff on the time taken to conclude (a) all complaints and (b) WASPI complaints; and when he plans for the additional staff to begin (a) training and (b) work with the Independent Case Examiner.

Kit Malthouse: The thirteen additional staff referenced in answer to question 146091 will be deployed on investigation casework. Given the range and complexity of the complaints examined by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office and the demand led nature of the service it provides, it is not possible to provide reliable predictions of the impact the additional staff will have on the time taken to conclude any particular group of complaint investigations. Whilst the process of recruiting new staff is ongoing, start dates and training schedules cannot be agreed until the successful candidates have been identified.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to allocate additional resources to the Pensions Ombudsman as a result of the level of caseload from WASPI complainants.

Sarah Newton: The Pension Ombudsman was set up in 1991 by the then Conservative Government. It’s remit is to look at complaints about personal and occupational pension schemes. It also considers complaints about the actions and decisions of the Pension Protection Fund and some decisions made by the Financial Assistance Scheme. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is responsible for investigating WASPI complaints. Once a complainant has exhausted the DWP complaints process, including the Independent Case Examiner’s, they can escalate their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Office in the event that they are dissatisfied with the outcome. The DWP` plays no part in allocating resources to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Office. The Pensions Ombudsman does not answer WASPI complaints.

Children: Disability

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides to (a) the families of children who are severely disabled and (b) other families in similar circumstances in completing applications for disability living allowance.

Sarah Newton: DWP offers sign-posting to families, initially through access to Gov.UK. This provides a basic overview of DLA for children, eligibility and how to claim. The site additionally sign-posts access to Carer’s Allowance.The claim pack is accompanied by an information booklet which provides support in completion of the questions, with examples. Both the claim pack and booklet have recently been revised to provide clearer information when completing the form. DWP offers advice and support by telephone on specific points where advice is sought. The DLA Service Line receives a limited number of calls for support on completion of certain questions and DLA Child Case Managers may contact other parties for clarification if they feel a claim pack has missing or conflicting evidence. This may involve contact with the parent if they are the most appropriate source, but may also include a school or Health Care Professional who is familiar with the child.

Carer's Allowance

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2018 to Question 141782 on Carers, how many carer’s received Carer’s Allowance in (a) Derby, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England; and what estimate she has made of the savings accrued to the public purse as a result of care provided by people receiving carer’s allowance instead of by public bodies in 2016-17.

Sarah Newton: The information requested on the number of individuals in receipt of Carer’s Allowance is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html Data on the savings accrued to the public purse as a result of care provided by people receiving Carer’s Allowance instead of by public bodies in 2016-17 is not held.Carer’s Allowance expenditure is available as part of the Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2018 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2018

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has estimated the cost of (a) audio and (b) video recording assessments for personal independence payment and employment support allowance; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: As part of our commitment to improving the PIP assessment process we are exploring options to record PIP assessments, but do not yet have any estimated costs for this activity. Audio recording of Work Capability Assessments is already available to Employment Support Allowance and Universal Credit claimants. Since Centre for Health and Disability Assessments took over the contract to deliver Work Capability Assessments there has not been a need to purchase new recording units so an up-to-date cost estimate cannot be provided.

Motability

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people that were eligible for a Motability vehicle under disability living allowance have been classified as not eligible under personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: The Department does not hold this specific information. However, I can confirm that, while a proportion of claimants have lost their entitlement to the higher rate mobility component, 104,000 reassessed DLA claimants actually received enhanced rate mobility which they did not previously have.

Personal Independence Payment: Orthopaedics

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for personal independence payment from people with lower limb amputations were subject to a mandatory reconsideration.

Sarah Newton: There have been the following number of Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) requested by claimants with “Amputation - Lower limb(s)” listed as their main health condition broken down by Financial Year. Financial Year of MR RegistrationCount2013/14202014/152802015/165802016/17880April 2017 – January 2018620

Motability

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether geography is a criterion for eligibility for a Motability vehicle under personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: Geography is not considered as part of the eligibility criteria. The Motability Scheme is open to anyone in the UK. who qualifies for higher rate mobility component for Disability Living Allowance, the enhanced rate of the mobility component for Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment or War Pensioners Mobility Supplement with at least a 12 months’ award length remaining.

Personal Independence Payment: Autism

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who previously received disability living allowance have been successful in their application for personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: Up to January 2018, 47,410 people with Autism, Asperger’s syndrome or Retts disorder as their main disabling condition on PIP were awarded PIP following a reassessment from DLA.  This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Data is based on main disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.Figures include rising 16’s (Individuals previously on child DLA who are reassessed for PIP upon reaching the age of 16).Figures are based on initial outcome only.Figures include claims under normal rules and special rules.Data taken from the PIP computer system’s management information.Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.Figures are for Great Britain only.

Personal Independence Payment: Autism

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps have been taken to ensure that staff conducting the medical assessments of personal independence payment applicants understand the (a) care and (b) mobility needs of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Sarah Newton: The Personal Independence Payment assessment is not a medical assessment requiring the Health Professional to diagnose a condition and recommend treatment options. The focus is on ensuring Health Professionals are experts in disability analysis, focusing on the effects of health conditions and impairments on a claimant’s daily life. All Health Professionals undertaking Personal Independent Payment assessments must be registered practitioners who have met requirements around training and competence. Their comprehensive training includes detailed modules covering all aspects of autism. In addition, they carry out simulated assessments to enable Health Professionals to understand how the condition can impact on a person’s ability to undertake the activities in the assessment. Both Assessment Providers employ specialist practitioners who have at least 2 years of post-registration clinical experience in either a mental health or learning disability role. They are available to provide support and advice to Health Professionals on particular conditions including autism. To strengthen, review and update their training, the Assessment Providers continue to engage with a range of stakeholders including the National Autistic Society.

State Retirement Pensions: Terminal Illnesses

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of enabling people with life-limiting conditions to draw their state pension early.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with charitable organisations for people with terminal-illnesses on enabling those people to draw their state-pension early.

Guy Opperman: The Government agrees with the independent reviewer of State Pension age, John Cridland, that the strengths of maintaining a universal State Pension age are the simplicity and clarity it provides both for individual and public planning purposes. The welfare system provides a safety-net for those experiencing hardship, with a range of benefits tailored to individual circumstances. This system is designed to support people who are unemployed, have health conditions or disabilities, or have caring responsibilities, and therefore are most in need in the run up to their State Pension age. John Cridland’s independent review of State Pension age was informed by consultation with a number of organisations, including on the subject of alternatives to a universal State Pension age. These organisations included several charities, which contributed to a written consultation and attended stakeholder events. A full list of contributors can be found at page 114 of John Cridland’s independent review of the State Pension age, ‘Smoothing the Transition’, which is available on www.gov.uk.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Livestock: Transport

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many enforcement checks were carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (a) during the loading of live animals and (b) at ports from which live animals were exported in 2017.

George Eustice: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are not an enforcement body but do carry out regulatory checks, in this case supervised loadings and checks at port. In 2017, APHA conducted:-(a) 71 checks during the loading of live animals export consignments.(b) 85 mid-journey compliance checks were undertaken at the ports from which live animals were exported. When approving proposed journeys for the export of livestock, APHA conduct a risk assessment which scores proposed journeys with a final destination of the EU, or where transiting the EU, against criteria affecting the likelihood of non-compliances.

Furs: Imports

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will take steps to reduce the level of fur imported from overseas.

George Eustice: There are already furs that cannot be imported onto the UK, including cat and dog fur and products, and seal skins and products from commercial hunts.The Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) places restrictions on the introduction of measures that impair the free movement of goods within the EU market.Where there are EU harmonising measures relevant to the movement of fur – including the Animal By-Products Regulation in respect of untreated fur and the Seal Products Regulation – any derogation from those in the form of a national restriction would need to meet the requirements of Article 114 TFEU or any specific safeguard measure included in the harmonising legislation. This would involve notifying the measures to the European Commission who would need to be satisfied that the issue is “specific to that Member State”, that it would not amount to a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade, or an obstacle to the functioning of the internal market.Introducing a ban in the absence of such consent where it is needed would breach Article 114 TFEU.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many contractors currently employed by his Department are paid £1,000 or more per day.

George Eustice: Defra’s systems do not differentiate between contractors and other types of contingent worker. As at 31 March 2018, 3 out of 463 contingent workers in Core Defra were on a contracted rate of £1,000 or more per day.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to introduce grants to support small-scale local food producers.

George Eustice: Large and small scale local food producers play an important role in supporting the rural economy and the farmed environment. The Government’s consultation, “Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit” which set out the policy framework for agriculture in England after the UK leaves the EU closed on 8 May. In this consultation we provided a clear direction for future farm support – public money for public goods. As part of this, we asked for views from those in the industry to make sure future agricultural policy reflects the reality of life for farmers and food producers. All responses received are being analysed and will be used to inform future policy.

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK providing and maintaining funding allocated by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund at the same level after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: When we leave the EU, we will take back control of our fisheries for the first time in 40 years. This presents us with an opportunity to design a robust, science-based and sustainable fisheries policy for the future. Current European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) commitments stand at £111.8million across 1,219 projects, with spend of £30.3million certified for 706 projects. In the upcoming months, we will evaluate the EMFF programme, and this will help to shape the discussions around the future funding needs of the industry.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will add public health to the list of public goods that will receive support as part of the UK’s agricultural policy framework after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The food we eat affects our health and well-being. In the Government’s recent consultation, “Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit” we recognised that leaving the EU will allow us to design a future agriculture policy which promotes environmental enhancement, supports profitable food production and contributes to a healthier society. In the consultation document we proposed a range of ideas to increase productivity, exploit new technology and research and improve animal health and welfare - some of which we believe will support wider benefits for the environment, tackling climate change and public health.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cattle tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in 2017.

George Eustice: During 2017, 32,416 cattle were compulsorily slaughtered in England because they responded to the tuberculin skin test or interferon-gamma test in a way that was consistent with being infected with Mycobacterium bovis. Official statistics on TB in cattle in Great Britain can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bovine-tb.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Bovine TB Strategy Review committee chaired by Sir Charles Godfray will include a review of badger culling; and what the timetable is for that committee to report.

George Eustice: The published terms of reference set out that badger culling is within the scope of the Bovine TB strategy review. They explain that this is not narrowly a review of culling alone, but of the whole strategy, of which culling is just one part. The review is forward looking and will consider what steps can be taken to improve, enhance or accelerate interventions to achieve the eradication of bovine TB. The review is expected to conclude by the end of September 2018. The findings will be submitted to Defra Ministers for consideration and a final report published in due course. Further details on the review can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-strategy-for-achieving-bovine-tuberculosis-free-status-for-england-2018-review.

Air Pollution

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to undertake a consultation exercise on changes to the Local Air Quality Management framework.

David Rutley: Defra plans to consult this year on policy changes to the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) framework, to minimise bureaucracy and reporting burdens, shifting the focus to taking action to clean up local air through strong collaborative local partnerships; and driving stronger local action on reducing particulate matter emissions. We will also encourage greater public transparency about local air quality to empower local citizens and their air quality decision-makers in their local communities, and provide stronger incentives for local authorities to use their tools and powers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Length of Service

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department have worked there for (a) up to and including one year, (b) over one year and up to and including five years, (c) over five years and up to and including 10 years and (d) over 10 years.

George Eustice: The number and proportion of staff and their length service for employees in the department as at 30 April is shown below:   NumberProportionUp to and Including one year59516%Over one year and up to and including five years93125%Over five years and up to and including 10 years46413%Over 10 years169346%Grand Total3683

Home Office

Home Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings his predecessor had with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 January and 31 March 2018.

Victoria Atkins: The former Home Secretary the Rt. Hon. Amber Rudd had regular meetings with Professor John Aston, the Home Office’s Chief Scientific Adviser, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Deportation: Togo

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been deported to Togo in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The number of enforced returns from the UK to Togo is published in table rt_05 (returns data tables, volume 5) in ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2018’, available from the GOV.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018-data-tablesThe term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good.Information on those deported is not separately available but the published statistics refer to enforced returns. This includes deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers who have declined to leave voluntarily.



Table rt_05 - Vol 5 - Returns Data Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 1.02 MB)

Home Office: ICT

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of the implementation of the new IT system ATLAS on the time taken for asylum seekers to access asylum support.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to resolve issues with the transition to the new IT system ATLAS.

Caroline Nokes: Following the implementation of the new system used for the application and processing of asylum support in March 2018 we are aware that a minority of service users’ have experienced delays in the processing of their applications and payments.We are working closely with our IT and commercial partners and other stakeholders to resolve these issues and to continue to ensure that no service users are left destitute.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 24 May 2018 to Question 146070 on immigration: EU nationals, how his Department will define what a standard application is in respect EU citizens applying for settled or temporary status.

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2018 to Question 146070 on immigration: EU nationals, what factors or variables might result in an application for settled or temporary status being considered non-standard.

Caroline Nokes: Learning lessons from applicants’ experiences of the existing routes for obtaining EEA documentation, the UK is designing a streamlined, user-friendly, digital application process for the settlement scheme.We are developing a system which draws on existing government data, for example, employment records held by HMRC will be checked, which will, for the majority, verify residence as a worker. We will not seek to account for undocumented periods where we are satisfied that, overall, the residence requirements have been met. We will verify identity and are considering digital ways to do this in order to make it both secure and user-friendly.Applicants who are not yet able to evidence the 5 years’ continuous residence necessary to obtain settled status, but who can evidence that they were resident before the specified date, will be given temporary status. This will enable them to remain in the UK until they have built up 5 years’ continuous residence allowing them to apply for settled status.We will be providing further detail on the scheme in due course.

Universal Credit: Payments

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on split payments of universal credit.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on the 26 April 2018, UIN 136953.

Windrush Generation: Compensation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how he plans to determine the level of compensation payable to Windrush migrants.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has launched a Call for Evidence to hear about the experiences of those that might have been affected, which closes on 8 June.The information gathered through the Call for Evidence will be used to inform the decisions on the design of the scheme, and Martin Forde QC has been appointed as an Independent Person to oversee that design.

Immigration: Biometrics

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many biometric residence permits were issued in each of the last three years.

Caroline Nokes: The information you have requested regarding the total number of BRPs issued over the last three years is not included in statistics published by the Home Office.However, the total number of grants of leave, by type of application, are available in published information at www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Deportation

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) deportation and (b) removal flights were chartered by his Department to (i) Jamaica, (ii) India, (iii) Pakistan, (iv) Bangladesh, (v) China and (vi) Nigeria in each of the last six months.

Caroline Nokes: The table below shows the number of charter flights by country of destination between December 2017 and May 2018. These individual charter flight returns operations consisted of both deportation cases and of those being removed. CountryDecember 2017January 2018February 2018March 2018April 2018May 2018TotalJamaica0000000India0000000Pakistan1111116Bangladesh0000000China0000000Nigeria*0111014*Charter operated to Nigeria and Ghana.

Visas

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 2 (General) Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship applications were made in each month since March 2018, how many Tier 2 (General) Certificates of Sponsorship were refused in each month since March 2018 due to the annual cap having been reached;  and how many were refused as a result of the annual cap being reached in each month since March 2018 in each Standard Occupational Classification code.

Caroline Nokes: The specific information requested is not included in statistics published by the Home Office. Published data on sponsorship applications can be found in the immigration statistics release.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-sponsorship-restricted-certificate-allocations/allocations-of-restricted-certificates-of-sponsorship

Scotland Office

Royal Bank of Scotland: Closures

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent representations he has made to representatives of RBS on ensuring the maintenance of free access to money for people in communities affected by that bank's programme of branch closures.

David Mundell: I have met with RBS to discuss their recent announcements. Decisions on opening and closing branches and the format of the provision of service are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis and the Government does not intervene in these decisions.The Government is committed to widespread free access to cash. LINK, the organisation that runs the UK’s ATM network, operates a Financial Inclusion Programme, which subsidises ATMs in areas that have poor access to cash and would not otherwise be viable. LINK has committed to protecting all free-to-use ATMs which are a kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM.The Payment Systems Regulator Limited (PSR) has also committed to using their powers to maintain widespread free access to cash should they need to.

Industry: Scotland

John Howell: What steps the Government is taking to ensure that Scotland benefits from the modern industrial strategy.

Mark Menzies: What steps the Government is taking to ensure that Scotland benefits from the modern industrial strategy.

Stuart Andrew: The UK Government has been working collaboratively with the Scottish Government to implement the Industrial Strategy. We have announced sector deals in Life Sciences, Creative Industries, Artificial Intelligence, Automotive and Construction. I am also aware of further proposals for sector deals from the oil and gas, and food and drink sectors which have the potential to make a significant contribution in Scotland.

Industry: Scotland

Liz McInnes: What discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) Scottish Government Ministers on the economic effect of the industrial strategy on Scotland.

David Mundell: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues and the Scottish Government on a wide range of issues relating to the Scottish economy, including ensuring we continue to build on the UK and Scottish Governments’ commitment to maximising the impact of the Industrial Strategy in Scotland.

Church Commissioners

Jeremy Pemberton

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how much the Church of England spent on the employment tribunal involving Jeremy Pemberton; and if she will make a statement.

Dame Caroline Spelman: It is not the practice of the Church Commissioners to disclose expenditure on the costs of legal proceedings of this kind (they are not required to do so under s.5 Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943). The Church Commissioners have decided not to pursue the claimant for the costs they incurred as a result of his unsuccessful tribunal and subsequent appeals.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Apprentices

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many apprentices his Department directly employs; and how many of this apprentices have been placed within each group in his Department.

Oliver Dowden: As at 19th March 2018, the Cabinet Office employed 59 apprentices who were actively completing an apprenticeship, this equated to 1.13% of our workforce. This is broken down in the table below: Cabinet Office HR2Civil Service Group1Civil Service HR3Civil Service Learning4Civil Service Resourcing1Commonwealth Summit Unit1Constitution Group4Corporate Finance3Economic & Domestic Affairs Secretariat1Government Communications Service6Government Digital Service6Government in Parliament10Government Property Unit1Govt Commercial Organisation1Head of the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists1Infrastructure & Projects Authority1Knowledge & Information Mgmt Team1National Security Secretariat1Office of the Parliamentary Counsel1Prime Minister's Office6Private Office Group4

Public Sector: Recruitment

Andrew Selous: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2018 to Question 138406, what steps he has taken to encourage the public sector beyond the civil service to adopt the Ban the Box policy.

Oliver Dowden: The Government is committed to removing barriers for all individuals, including ex-offenders. The Civil Service is leading by example and has adopted the Ban the Box policy and is encouraging organisations across the private and public sectors to adopt the policy.The Ministry of Justice recently published their Education and Employment strategy on 24 May. The strategy highlights the progress of Ban the Box across both public and private sectors, and reiterates its value. The Government is also continuing to explore opportunities to promote the employment of ex-offenders in the Civil Service and wider public sector.

Devolution: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Devolution Guidance Note: Parliamentary and Assembly Primary Legislation Affecting Wales, for what reason only the devolution guidance relating to Wales mentions changes to devolved competence in relation to the UK leaving the EU.

Chloe Smith: The Devolution Guidance Note for Wales was updated to take account of the new reserved powers model introduced by the Wales Act 2017, which came into effect on 1 April 2018. The revised guidance was published on 20 April 2018.This guidance describes the devolution settlement as it currently has effect, and it is under constant review in order to reflect any changes. Leaving the EU will see considerable additional decision-making powers flow to the National Assembly for Wales and so we will need to update the guidance in due course to reflect these new powersAt the last session of the Joint Ministerial Committee (Plenary), Ministers agreed to review the current intergovernmental structures in light of the UK's exit from the EU to ensure they are fit for purpose. It is important that the Devolution Guidance Notes are also updated to reflect any further changes agreed as a result of this process.

Infrastructure: Environment Protection

Mary Creagh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the risk posed by climate change to highly interconnected nationally significant infrastructure.

Oliver Dowden: Lead Government Departments keep the risk to the critical national infrastructure in their sector(s) under continual review, and report to the Cabinet Office on their plans to manage these risks through annual Sector Security and Resilience Plans. Climate change is a driver for a number of the risks considered by Lead Government Departments. More detail on these risks can be found in the 2017 Climate Change Risk Assessment and the 2017 National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies. The 2017 Climate Change Risk Assessment is publicly available at: https://www.theccc.org.uk/tackling-climate-change/preparing-for-climate-change/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-2017/. The 2017 National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies is published on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-of-civil-emergencies-2017-edition. A summary of the 2017 Sector Security and Resilience Plans is published on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sector-security-and-resilience-plans-2017-summary

Civil Service: Scotland

Luke Graham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on working practices of the civil service in Scotland.

Oliver Dowden: The Civil Service HR team within Cabinet Office regularly engages with its counterparts in the Scottish Government on a range of workforce matters where there are shared interests and to share best practice. This also ensures consistency in approach and ways of working (as appropriate) across both bodies. All UK Government civil servants are expected to adhere to the principles set out in the Civil Service Code throughout their working practices. Civil servants working for the Scottish Government, and their agencies, have their own versions of the code, as do the Welsh Government. However, both the Scottish and Home Civil Service adhere to the same core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Government Departments: Databases

James Gray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, under what circumstances citizens’ data held by companies (a) supplying cloud services to the Government and (b) contracted to deliver cloud services on behalf of Government can be subject to information requests from US Government bodies.

Oliver Dowden: Cabinet Office does not centrally collect the specific data requested.

Cabinet Office: Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings he had with the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 January and 31 March 2018.

Oliver Dowden: My Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Cabinet Office and I met with Professor Chris Whitty, the then Acting Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Rupert Lewis, Director of Government Office for Science on 28 Feb 2018. Cabinet Office officials and Ministers regularly meet with government scientific advisers.

Government Departments: Reviews

Peter Dowd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of independent or Government-led reviews which are under consultation or awaiting a government response across all Departments as of 1 June 2018.

Mr David Lidington: Granular information on reviews across government is not centrally held in the form requested. Individual departments are responsible for any reviews they conduct or commission, and any associated consultation process. The Cabinet Office is responsible for the Government Consultation Principles, which provide departments with guidance on conducting consultations. That guidance sets out that consultations, and any response to them, should be published on gov.uk

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many contractors currently employed by his Department are paid £1,000 or more per day.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade does not employ any contractors on £1000 or more per day.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Youth Services: Expenditure

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) open access youth work for 13 to 19 year olds, (b) wages for qualified Joint Negotiating Committee youth workers and (c) youth only (i) spaces and (ii) buildings per young person in each year since 2010.

Tracey Crouch: Local authorities are responsible for allocating funding to youth services in line with local need. The Government has made over £200bn available to local authorities to spend on local services over this Spending Review.The Government is committed to making sure young people have opportunities to develop their skills and participate in their communities. The Office for Civil Society (OCS), now based in DCMS, has spent over £667m on youth programmes and supporting youth service delivery between 2014/15 and 2017/18 - with £190m of that being spent in 2017/18. DCMS does not hold data for spending on youth services prior to 2014 as the department did not hold responsibility for youth policy before this.

Voluntary Work

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to respond to the recommendations of the January 2018 Independent review of Full-Time Social Action.

Tracey Crouch: We are considering the recommendations in the Full Time Social Action Review’s report and I recently met with Steve Holliday, Chair of the Review, to discuss these recommendations in further detail. The Government Response to the Review’s report will be published in due course.

Martial Arts: Children

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether steps have been taken to improve the child protection regime in martial arts; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: On 1 March 2018 I announced the launch of a new Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts, to recognise clubs or providers who have reached and maintained excellent safeguarding standards. This new code will help empower parents and carers to make informed decisions when selecting a martial arts club or provider for their child. The Code was developed by Sport England through close consultation with representatives from martial arts governing bodies, the Child Protection in Sport Unit and those with years of expertise in safeguarding. Clubs and providers can pledge to work towards the Code now, with the Code becoming fully operational in the summer.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Tours

Andy Slaughter: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, with reference to the ongoing discussions in the Administration Committee on the future of Blue Badge guided tours of the House, what the Commission's policy is on pausing the recruitment of in-house staff pending a final decision on the guiding service.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has no plans to pause the recruitment of in-house tour guides because the final decision on the new guiding service was taken several months ago. It has been endorsed by the House of Commons Administration Committee and the Commission. Recruitment of 28 new members of House of Commons staff to take the majority of tours in Parliament will be completed this month.

House of Commons: Redundancy Pay

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of cost to the public purse of redundancy payments over and above the statutory contractual requirement for house staff since 2009.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the cost to the public purse of redundancy payments over and above the statutory contractual requirement for house staff working in the Speaker's office since 2009.

Tom Brake: Redundancy payments for employees of the House of Commons Commission are paid in line with the Civil Service Compensation Scheme rules. These offer an enhanced redundancy payment compared to the statutory requirement but provide specific rules that the House and other “Schedule 1” employers who are part of the Civil Service Pension Arrangements must follow when calculating redundancy payments. House of Commons employees have a contractual entitlement to redundancy payment on these terms and no redundancy payments have been made over and above the Civil Service requirements since 2009. That includes Speaker’s Office staff who are employees of the Commission.

Members

Chris Ruane: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many and what proportion of room bookings made by hon. Members were cancelled with less than three sitting days' notice in each of the last three parliamentary sessions.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons does not hold this information as there is no facility within the booking system to search for and draw off this information. I have asked officials to contact the hon. Member to discuss any particular concerns he has.

Northern Ireland Office

Emergency Services: Northern Ireland

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Government holds information on the number of times the (a) Police Service of Northern Ireland, (b) Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and (b) Northern Ireland Ambulance Service have crossed the border into the Republic of Ireland to assist with the response to an emergency in the last 12 months.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Policing and Fire and Rescue in Northern Ireland are devolved matters. The Northern Ireland Office does not therefore hold this information.